Iodal soon let out another long sigh.
‘Then again, I’m also one of those creations. How could I understand the will of an omnipotent god?’
Looking out the window, Iodal managed a faint smile. It was a forced smile meant to calm his sorrow and anger, but it ultimately had little effect.
“If you’re omnipotent, you should be a bit more diligent! Why use what your creations made? Or at least communicate and use it! How long have I been searching for the time stone?”
Iodal ended up cursing the negligent god once more and kicked the helpless wall. The joint weakened by aging, making him cry out in pain from just a single kick.
With eyes that were moist for a different reason than before, he wrapped his arms around his knees.
It was a particularly sad day.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Laila and Sion wandered through various parts of the village where the Moon Clan lived.
Esther had mentioned having other matters to attend to and had left, while Marie, feeling tired, went to the accommodation provided by the Moon Clan early.
In truth, Laila was also feeling fatigued from the long journey.
Though she considered going to the accommodation early to sleep like Marie, another impulse suppressed that thought.
She wanted to spend just a little more time.
With Sion in this body right now.
“Sion.”
As they walked slowly along a path in the village, Laila suddenly spoke.
“Aren’t you tired?”
However, Sion had been on horseback for nearly the entire two-month journey.
As Sion, who was walking forward, glanced at Laila, he asked,
“Are you tired?”
Oh, I asked a question but got a question back…
Laila hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
“A little. But it’s not enough to go to the accommodation.”
Not wanting to part with Sion right away, Laila quickly added a little more to her answer.
Sion thought for a moment after hearing Laila’s response and then suggested,
“Then would you like to rest outside for a bit?”
“…Have you been to this village before?”
Sion shook his head.
“No.”
“Then how did you know there was a tree like this here?”
Laila and Sion were standing under a large, majestic tree.
The towering tree was so thick that it seemed like it would take three people with arms outstretched to wrap around it.
“Just.”
“…Just?”
“I could sense its energy.”
“The tree’s energy?”
“Yeah.”
“…You can sense tree energy too?”
“I can sense all living things.”
Laila blinked and then sat down under the shade of the tree.
Laila then gestured for Sion to sit down and start talking.
“If you can sense all living things, you must be feeling various energies even now, right?”
“Yes.”
“That must be uncomfortable.”
“What?”
Sion, who had just sat down next to Laila, looked at her in surprise.
Laila noticed that Sion had deliberately kept a bit of distance from her, even now.
Well, let’s see if he keeps doing this later…
Laila hid her thoughts and spoke.
“Even if you want to rest thoroughly without feeling anything, you probably can’t.”
“…”
“You get tired just being a little sensitive to presence, so it must be really uncomfortable for you.”
“……I’ve never thought of it that way.”
“If you’re not feeling uncomfortable, that’s good.”
After saying that, Laila laid her head on Sion’s lap.
Sion, suddenly having Laila’s head on his thigh, flinched but soon remained still.
Laila, using Sion’s lap as a pillow, burst into a sudden laugh.
Sion’s gaze stayed fixed on Laila’s smiling face.
“Sion, you really feel like a pillow.”
“…Do you mean because you find me soft?”
“No, not really.”
Laila chuckled softly.
“It’s because you’re not moving.”
“…”
“You really don’t move at all.”
“…”
“Like a stone pillow, a stone pillow.”
Laila playfully said a few more words and then closed her eyes.
“Sion, I have something I’m curious about. Just suddenly thought of it.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you kill Kidon?”
While staying at the Axid mansion, Laila had heard rumors about Kidon. Specifically, she had heard rumors surrounding Kidon.
In these rumors, Kidon was no longer Kidon Reisic but simply Kidon.
And he was a criminal, a fugitive, and a missing person.
Laila hadn’t cared about Kidon’s life or death. She felt the same way when she first heard about him and now.
However, she was curious about this.
If Kidon had died, did ‘Sion’ kill him?
The answer flowed into Laila’s ears as she kept her eyes closed.
“…No.”
“Why?”
“Not all suffering comes from dying.”
“Ah, so you spared him, but not in good condition.”
Silence fell. A gentle breeze blew.
Laila, blocking her vision and concentrating all her attention on her hearing, could barely hear the sound of the leaves rustling.
She suddenly thought. Could Sion clearly hear the rustling of the leaves?
…It must be uncomfortable.
The world has been saved, so it would be nice if Sion could become a bit more normal now.
Is that too much to ask?
Just as Laila was having this thought, Sion’s voice covered the sound of the rustling leaves.
“Are you concerned about Kidon?”
“Hmm?”
Laila slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze met Sion’s.
Her mouth opened involuntarily.
“No?”
“…If you’re not concerned, then why did you ask if Kidon is dead?”
“I wasn’t asking if Kidon is dead…”
A subtle light appeared on Laila’s face.
“Are you jealous?”
“What?”
“Or not.”
“…”
“Anyway, I’m not interested in whether Kidon is alive or dead. I was just curious about what you did.”
“…Why is that?”
“Do people receive judgment from the gods after they die?”
“…”
“I’ve heard that gods treat all creatures the same. So, if you kill someone, even if they’re a villain, it would be considered a sin, right?”
“…”
“I was just hoping that, after you die, you’d go to a place where people who haven’t committed any sins go. That’s all.”
“……If killing a villain is also a sin, then do you think you’ve committed a sin?”
Laila slowly closed her eyes and then opened them.
Laila thought of “Hildegarde.”
“Yes.”
“If that’s the case, then you’ve taken my sin.”
“Huh?”
“I was planning to kill all of Hildegarde.”
“…”
“If it weren’t for you, I would have killed them all.”
“…”
“Your sin is originally my sin. The gods will take that into consideration.”
“…Sion.”
Laila called Sion’s name and paused for a moment before speaking again.
“Why did you like me?”
“…”
“I’m Hildegarde… How did you come to like me?”
“You’re Hildegarde, but you’re Laila too.”
“…”
“So.”
Laila’s eyes widened slightly.
Hildegarde but Laila.
It was a sentence she had always thought in reverse.
I am this person, and that person, but…
In the end, I’m Hildegarde.
She had always defined it that way.
It was just a matter of swapping the order of words, but the feeling was entirely different.
Perhaps it was because those words came from Sion.
“I see… Yes, I’m Laila.”
“…”
“Even if my body changes, will I still be Laila?”
“Of course.”
“Then, at that time, it would just be Laila, not Hildegarde.”
At that time.
“Sion, you have to recognize me even if I appear in a different body. You can’t not recognize me.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Can you guarantee that?”
“Yes.”
“How can you guarantee that? What if I pretend not to be me? Will you still recognize me?”
“I will.”
“Even if I look different, how can you be so sure?”
“…Shall I be honest?”
Laila’s eyes narrowed. Honest?
Was Sion going to admit that he might not recognize her?
“Yes. Be honest.”
